Kroon Lodge

Kroon Lodge's surrounding area of Namaqualand, spreading over South Africa and Namibia for 1,000 kilometres around the west Atlantic coast, is famed for its wildflowers in spring (between August and October). Hiking and 4x4 trails and routes run along the coast and the banks of the Orange River, the longest river in South Africa. Flower fans should also take at least one trip to the Namaqua National Park, which has a higher concentration of plants than any other arid region in the world: over 1,000 flowery species of the park's 3,500 or so are found only here on all the planet. Native wild animals including hartebeest, oryx and springbok were reintroduced to the park in 2002. When you're moving on from Kroon, the coast at Hondeklip Bay and the border with Namibia are both about an hour and 45 minutes' drive away; a popular stopoff on the way to Namibia is Springbok, 45 minutes to the north.